European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel

name is Elia Ricci and I am the new editor of the EPUAP Review. During the meeting of the Panel in Bruges I was nominated for this important and exciting position. This is a new experience for me and I hope that you will accept my apologies for any shortcomings I display as editor. In this, my first letter, I will present myself:

I am an Italian surgeon who has worked in wound care since 1994 (the date of my first publication in wound care). I was one of the founding members of the EPUAP and now I am on the panel, and I am also president of the Italian Association of Wound Care (AIUC). Currently I am the director of a critical wound unit at a clinic in Turin and vice-director of the Master in Wound Care programme at the University of Turin. In all my work I am a clinician and I hope to remain in this field. The human relationships that we can create in our work with chronic wounded patients are one of the most satisfying aspects of our profession.

The conference this year - held in the beautiful location of Bruges - was a great success, both scientifically and with the social events. More than 350 participants from 25 different countries participated in the work sessions, the discussion every time was animated and the debates between clinicians and researchers were useful for all. As a clinician I greatly appreciated the intriguing idea of developing a small number of discussion titles in a profound way. The discussion on the EBM (Evidence-Based Medicine) level of study and on its involvement in clinical practice was based on the ethical problem and not only on the bench.

The guidelines on Pressure Ulcers were discussed in association between EPUAP and NPUAP, and a preliminary edition was drafted, the initial result being presented during the Conference in two plenary sessions. Dr Carol Dealey in ‘The role of guidelines in pressure area care’ considered how the guidelines assist health-care professionals to make appropriate decisions and what more they would require from them. In a second plenary session Dr Dealey reviewed the methodology used for developing the guidelines and some of the challenges arising. In connection with the guideline development project you can cooperate as a stakeholder by going to the web site: www.pressureulcerguidelines.org and making your subscription. You will then be given the option of input to the process. There were also discussions on infection, and on the biomechanisms that determine pressure ulcer development.

The posters and the free papers presented at the meeting were all of a high standard and the selection of the winning posters wasn’t easy. The three winners finally chosen were:

Elia Ricci

Editor